


Dog Ownership and its Rewards

by fandomramblings



Series: Malex Week 2020 [1]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: AU, Canon Disabled Character, Disabled Character, Dogs, First Meeting, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Malex Week 2020, POV Michael, Star Wars - Freeform, meet ugly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:33:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25247698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomramblings/pseuds/fandomramblings
Summary: We always bump into each other while walking our dogs, but our dogs hate each other so I automatically hate you too.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: Malex Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831072
Comments: 8
Kudos: 76





	Dog Ownership and its Rewards

**Author's Note:**

> Malex Week 2020 Day 1. Prompt: Meet Ugly  
> Not my first fic written but my first fic posted. yay!

“Boba! Stop that!” 

Michael scoffed loudly. There that guy was again with his out of control dog. He knew logically that dogs didn’t fit into human roles, but that dog was a bully. Michael and Neptune, his Australian Shepherd, had been walking this route for over a year now and things had been going just fine. In the last few weeks, however, the two of them had run into a bit of a problem. 

That problem took the form of a guy with spiky black hair and a violent black lab. Every time they passed it the lab would start barking at Michael. Neptune was usually a pretty chill dog, but she could be protective. He had tried all the tips that the trainer had mentioned. He tried distracting Neptune with her favorite treats, pulling up on her leash, and even just crossing to the other side of the road. Nothing worked. The lab was determined to bark at Michael, and Neptune was determined to bark right back. Something seemed different today though. Michael’s first inkling of this was when he noticed that the lab’s owner was distracted with some sort of phone call.

“Really? Over the phone? You might as well just send me an email! Boba stop!” He was lightly pulling on the leash with a cell phone clutched in his other hand. “You can’t even give me some sort of explanation?” The lab was barking loudly across the street at Michael and pulling on the leash. Neptune took notice and planted herself in front of Michael barking very loudly. Michael pulled up on her leash and tried to move forward. They just needed to make it to the end of the block. Then they could turn the corner and head in a different direction. It was no use. Neptune wasn’t as small as she used to be and she was rooted to the spot.

The guy was yelling into the phone now. “You know what forget it. Fuck you man! Have a nice life!” Michael raised an eyebrow. He was either getting fired or dumped. Sucked for him, but it sucked more for Michael because as the guy was angrily forcing his phone back into his pocket Boba the lab made his move. He broke free of his owner and charged across the street. The guy tried to snatch at the leash as it flew through the air but he was too slow. The lab was off like a shot, right at Michael. Neptune was ready for him, and the dogs met each other on the edge of the sidewalk and went straight for each other’s throats. Michael was not prepared for their ferocity, he was pulling on Neptune’s leash really hard, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Dude, what the fuck!” Michael hollered. The other guy had run across the street and was now tugging on the lab’s leash.

“Sorry man,” he grunted. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him.” Michael had managed to get his hands around Neptune’s hind legs and was pulling.

“Yeah right. It’s like this every week. You can’t train for shit. I swear if he hurts her.” Boba had gotten a good grip on Neptune’s flank. Both men gave one more firm pull and the dogs finally broke apart. Michael stumbled backward and the other guy fell back onto his ass in the street.

Michael barked a laugh. The other guy glared at him.

“Listen asshole. He’s a service dog, you’re the one with training problems,” he growled, attempting to get up. Michael noticed that he seemed to be having trouble. A service dog? He hadn’t noticed a vest or anything before. He shook his head. It didn’t matter. This jerk clearly didn’t have any control over his dog. The men continued to glare at each other. Then something odd happened. Boba’s leash relaxed in the guys hand. The lab was no longer pulling. Neptune was sniffing his foot. Then Boba started sniffing her.

“What the heck?” the guy said, finally managing to get up. Michael noticed he was leaning heavily on one foot.

“Huh,” Michael felt his anger subside slightly. “Maybe they just needed to get it out of their systems?” The guy nodded and they stood there in silence for a moment, watching the dogs watch each other. After a while, Michael bent down and picked up Neptune’s leash again. 

“Dog’s are weird. Uh, I’m Michael. Michael Guerin” He stuck out his hand. The other man hesitated for a moment. Then he noticed how Boba had begun to sniff at Michael's leg. Then he smiled slightly, taking Michael's hand.

“Alex Manes.”

The handshake lasted longer than he expected, but Michael finally dropped the other guy's hand. “So service dog huh?” he asked, trying to break the tension.

Alex nodded awkwardly. “He fetches stuff for me a lot.” In a strange movement, he bent down and knocked on his lower leg. It made a clanging noise. “But it’s more than that. It’s kinda hard to explain. I swear he’s better behaved most of the time. ” 

Michael tried not to stare. He looked back up at the guy's face. He was quite beautiful really. He’d never noticed it before. Alex was wearing all black, maybe he had gotten a dog to match his look. He had a band t-shirt on and it fit quite nicely over his broad shoulders.

“Neptune’s usually pretty calm. She’s acting more like herself now.”

“The planet or the god?” Alex asked, looking back at Michael. He was really smiling now. It was quite breathtaking.

“The planet,” he smiled back. And smart too. “I like the solar system and her fur is blue in certain light. Star Wars or tea?”

Alex laughed at that. “Funny story actually. He came with the name so it kinda stuck. But Boba Fett is totally overrated.”

It was Michael’s turn to laugh. “I’d go with the tea then. People get mad sometimes when you tell them Boba Fett is lame.”

“I think its the armor, which looks cool, and how he hardly says anything in Empire. I guess that makes him menacing or intriguing or something. He barely does anything though and is taken out by literally falling into a hole.” Alex smirked. Wow once you got the guy going on Boba Fett.

“Was that what the phone call was about?” He asked, then at the look on Alex’s face, immediately regretted it.

“You heard that huh.” He knelt down to scratch behind Boba’s ears. The lab looked anxious to get walking again. “No uh, actually, my boyfriend dumped me over the phone. He got some new job in Albuquerque.”

“Classy,” Michael remarked, giving Neptune’s leash a tug. She stood up. “Care to complain about ex’s while we help the dogs burn off some more energy.” He motioned toward the next intersection. 

Alex was smiling again at that. “Sure!”

Michael grinned at him and they set off in step next to each other. Neptune and Boba out in front.

Their hands bumped together a few times as they walked in comfortable silence. Michael glanced at Alex who he could have sworn was blushing. He smiled and looked forward again at the dogs. He could hardly believe that 10 minutes ago they were all at each other’s throats. Dog ownership definitely had its ups and downs, but in the end, Michael thought as he looked at Alex again; It did have its rewards.


End file.
